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Farewell Miss Major Jay Toole Building for Social Justice

Good Afternoon FIERCE Allies, Supporters and Friends,

It is bittersweet that we announce FIERCE's office is moving!! For the last nine years the Miss Major Jay Toole Building for Social Justice was our home, our safe place, and our community. When we first moved into 147 W 24th St the Miss Major Jay Toole building for Social Justice did not exist. What existed was a new space for FIERCE that was close to public transportation and kept us connected to our base in the West Village. We did not know 147 W 24th St would become so much more than an office. 147 W 24th St became a center of organizing, resiliency, and community.

FIERCE moved into 147 W 24th St in the spring of 2007. In 2010, we were fortunate to be joined by The Audre Lorde Project, The Sylvia Rivera Law Project and later Queers for Economic Justice and Streetwise and Safe. In 2012, in collaboration with our MMJT Comrades, we decided to rename the building after two fierce movement leaders and elders, Miss Major and Jay Toole.

Over the last nine-years, we have learned what it means to build community thorough collaboration, resource sharing, elevator rides and some of the best celebrations this side of Manhattan. However, we can no longer afford the sky-high rent to stay in Chelsea. Like many organizations and individuals in our community, the intentional gentrification of New York City is pushing our organization out of Chelsea. We have also faced many structural issues in the building that have proven to be unsafe for our members. We have spent the last year working with our MMJT comrades to identify solutions that would allow us to remain at 147 W 24th St. We thought about buying a space, staying with increased rent, and even reached out to our local city council member to find support. Unfortunately, we were not able to find a solution that created the space for our organizations to stay together physically.

FIERCE's members, staff, board, and alumni are honored to have shared space with revolutionary organizations like Queers for Economic Justice, The Audre Lorde Project and Streetwise and Safe. FIERCE is excited and committed to building new opportunities to continue our work with all of our MMJT comrades to meet the needs of our community and share what we have learned as members of the MMJT family with other organizations across the city.

FIERCE is looking for a new space and we will be having a house warming in the next few months after we have settled in. During this transition time FIERCE will be temporarily located at 225 W 34th St (between 7th and 8th Ave) 9th floor, office #12. We can be reached at (212) 601-1938.